Micro-adjusting guide

ABSTRACT

ROLL PASSES FOR ROLLING RODS OR OTHER WORK PIECES ARE SUPPORTED BY A PLATFORM HAVING MICRO-ADJUSTING MEANS TO SHIFT THE PLATFORM SELECTIVELY IN VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL DIRECTIONS TO OBTAIN PERFECT POSITIONING WITH RESPECT TO A REST BAR OF A HOT ROLLING MILL. A SUBSTITUTE REST BAR PRO-   VIDES A GUIDE FOR THE HORIZONTAL ADJUSTMENT, AND THERE IS A CALMP FOR CRUDE ADJUSTMENT AND CAM MEANS (SCREW) FOR THE MICRO-ADJUSTMENT.

' w. KURSINCZKY Nov.V 16,- 197] MICROADJUSTING' GUIDE ZfSheet's-Sheet 1 Filed May 19, 1969 INVENTOR NNN-k r MM.. ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 16, 1971 W. KURSJNCZKY MICROADJUSTING GUIDE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F119@ May 19, 1969 INVENTOR NMNKWM BY W MW ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent O 3,620,063 MICRO-ADJUSTING GUIDE William Kursinczky, Woodbridge, NJ., assignor to General Cable Corporation, New York, N.Y. Filed May 19, 1969, Ser. No. 825,866 Int. Cl. B21b 39/20 U.S. Cl. '72-250 12 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Roll passes for rolling rods or other work pieces are supported by a platform having micro-adjusting means to shift the platform selectively in vertical and horizontal directions to obtain perfect positioning with respect to a rest bar of a hot rolling mill. A substitute rest bar provides a guide for the horizontal adjustment, and there is a clamp for crude adjustment and cam means (screw) for the micro-adjustment.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The rest bar on a conventional hot rolling mill is solidly fastened to the sides of the mill housing and is very restrictive in adjustment or movement. Steel or wooden wedges are used in between the mill housing and the rest bar in order to obtain some degree of adjustment. The guide box is loosely fastened to the rest bar with bolts through a long slot in the rest bar. Any adjustment is the result of wedging or distorting the rest bar with sledge hammers.

The improved micro-adjusting guide unit of this invention replaces the slotted captive flat type rest bar with a solid square alloy bar. This square bar is fastened to the sides of the mill housing by slotted adjusting side plates. These plates allow a course adjustment to the horizontal axis, and also adjustment of the guide unit to a level position or slight inclination one Way or the other with respect to the horizontal as may be necessary for alignment with the` direction in which the workpiece is supplied from a furnace or other source.

The guide box of this invention with its roll passes is carried on a top platform of a slider base that moves along the square bar to effect horizontal adjustment of the position of the guide box. The slider base has a top platform supported from a bottom platform by upper and lower complementary wedges adjustable to raise and lower the top platform to effect vertical adjustment of the guide box.

By using cam means, and more particularly screws, to move the wedges and to adjust the slider base along the supporting rest bar, micro-adjustment of the guide box is obtained. The invention provides increased stability to avoid distortion and twisting in the presentation of the transition section of the workpiece being rolled and improved quality of the workpiece as a result of the spot surface contact which can be obtained for the transitioning workpiece.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing, forming a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the roll passes and the top platform with a portion of the supporting rest bar shown in its relation to the top platform;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the guide box and top plat- 3,620,063 Patented Nov. 16, 1971 ice DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 shows a guide box 10 which has a top platform 12 and roll passes 14 and 16. Each of the roll passes includes rolls 18 which are shown as grooved rolls in the construction illustrated for rolling a rod 20 (FIG. 2) to the cross section illustrated. It will be understood that rolls of other shapes are used for rolling rods to other cross sections.

The rolls 18 rotate on axles 22 extending through side walls 24 which are parallel to but spaced from one another to provide clearance for passage of the rod. The side Walls 24 have an entrance funnel provided for the protecting and centering of the hot rod. At the entrance to the guide box a pair of plain vertical rolls 26 are attached as shown for the purpose of stabilization and straightening or ironing the nose or lead of the rod. There is'an entrance roll 27 supported between the side walls 24 by an axle 28 which extends into the side walls. The horizontal entrance roll 27 is duplicated with an additional top roll 27 and one more pair of top and bottom horizontal rolls 27a and 27b placed adjacent to the roll base 16. The sets of rolls 27', 27a and 27b are grooved to tit the desired contour of the transmitting rod for stabilization to prevent twisting. The grooved rollers exert sizingrpressure on the skin of the hot rod.

At the point marked `30, a pair of opposing high pressure water spray inlet pipes 31 are used for skin cooling and scale removal of the rods. A pair of formed solid contour blocks 32 are used for passageway guides. The opposed high pressure Water spray inlet pipes 31 go through the locks 32. A top mountedwater wash 33 is used to cascade over the rolls 26, 27 and 18 and guides for the purpose of lubricating the rolls and passageways in addition to skin cooling the surface of the rod.

The stabilization of the guided rod with the proper degree of water spray greatly contributes to the quality of the rod coming off the hot rolling mill. The ability of the micro-adjusting base to accurately position the rod in relation to the grooves is the key to the operation. Each mill roll has pecularities of its own that make it mandatory to have full control of the adjustments of the guide box.

The side walls 24 are connected to the top platform 12 by screws 36 which extend downward through the side walls and into threaded openings 38 (FIG. 5) in the top platform 12.

The top platform 12 is part of a slider base 40 (FIGS. 2 and 4) by which the guide box 10 is supported. The top platform 12 is supported from a lower platform 44 which has end walls 46 and 48 extending upwardly toward the top platform 12. Complementary wedges, including an upper Wedge .50 and a lower wedge 52, are located in the space between the end walls 46 and 48. When the upper and lower Wedges S0 and 52, respectively, are in the positions shown in FIG. 4, the top platform 12 rests upon the end Walls 46 and 48 of the bottom platform 44 and platform 44. There are also openings S6 in the top platform for receiving bolts which pass through openings v58 in the bottom platform to hold the top platform 12 down against the end walls 46 and 48 or against the wedge 50 when the wedges are used to lift the top platform in a manner which will be explained.

FIG. 4 shows bolts 60 which extend through the openings 56 and 58 of FIG. 4. These bolts have nuts 62 that are loosened when the top platform is to be adjusted vertically with respect to the bottom platform. When these nuts 62 have been backed away from the top platform 12, the lower wedge `52 can be pulled in further under the upper wedge 50 to lift the upper wedge 50 and the top platform 12. Movement of the lower wedge 52 is effected by rotatingI a screw 66 that threads into an opening 68 in the lower wedge 52. The head of the screw 66 bears against a washer 70 so that the screw 66 can not move toward the lower wedge 52 and the lower wedge has to move toward the left in FIG. 4 as the screw 66 is tightened.

The upper wedge 50 bears against the end wall 46 and can only move up and down as the lower wedge 52 moves toward the left or right along the underlying surface of the bottom platform 44.

When the guide box is held in an elevated position, above the top surfaces of the end walls 46 and 48, by the wedges 50 and 52, the guide box is clamped firmly against the upper wedge 50 by tighteningy the nuts 62. If it becomes necessary to lower the guide box 10, this is done by turning the screw 60 in a direction to unscrew it from the lower wedge 52. This causes the head of the screw 66 to back away from the end wall 46 and by striking the head of the screw in an axial direction, the lower wedge 50 is moved toward the right in FIG. 4 so that the top wedge 50 is free to move down. This permits the top platform 12 to also move down and the assembly can be adjusted for a new level by again tightening the nuts 62.

The slider base 40 has flanges 72 and 74 which extend downward from opposite ends of the bottom plate 44. These flanges are parallel to one another and can be connected to the bottom plate 44 by welding or in any other suitable manner. There is an opening 76, best shown in FIG. 5, through each of the flanges 72 and 74 and this opening 76 is shaped to fit a rest bar or support 78 which is of polygonal cross section and preferably square. The upper sides of the openings 76 serve as bearings on which the slider base 40 can be adjusted along the length of the support 78. When the slider base is located in position on the support 78 to locate the guide box at the desired horizontal adjustment with respect to the presentment of the work piece to the guide box, the slider base can be locked in position by set screws `80 threaded through openings in the flanges 72 and 74.

An adjusting plate 82 has an opening 76 similar to the corresponding openings in the flanges 72 and 74. There is a bronze pressure pad 84 located in the opening 76 of the adjusting plate 82 and this pressure pad 84 moves along opposite sides of the opening 76 which hold the pressure pad in position and against tilting out of the plane of the adjusting plate 82. A clamping screw 86. operated by a handle 88, moves the pressure pad 84 lback and forth, with respect to the support element 78, to clamp the adjusting plate 82 in any desired set position along the support element 78.

For obtaining a crude adjustment of the slider base 40, along the support element 78, the slider base and the adjusting plate 82 are moved by hand to the approximate positions from which a micro-adjustment is to be made. The micro-adjustment is then effected by operating the handle 88 to clamp the adjusting plate 82 in a fixed position on the support element 78 and a captive screw 90, best shown in FIG. 2, is operated to effect the final microadjustment. 1

The captive screw 90 threads through an opening 92 in the flange 72, and there are thrust bearings 94 and 95 on the screw 90, on opposite sides of the adjusting plate 82, for preventing axial movement of the screw with respect to the adjusting plate 82. Thus rotation of a head 96 of the captive screw 90 causes the flange 72, and the entire slider base 40, to move toward or from the adjusting plate 82, depending upon the direction of rotation of the screw 90.

The screw 90 is representative of cam means for effecting accurate movement of the slider base 40 along the support element 78 to effect the final horizontal adjustment of the guide box 10 just as the screw 66 and wedges 50 and 52 provide cam means for effecting the accurate vertical adjustment of the guide box 10. When the slider base 40 has been adjusted horizontally to the desired position, the set screws 80 are tightened to hold the slider base in position, as previously explained.

For obtaining a crude vertical adjustment of the guide box l0, the support element 78 has flanges 98 at its opposite ends secured to walls 100 of the mill housing by screws 102 extending through slots 104 in the flanges 98.

FIG. 3 shows an end view of one of the flanges 98. The screws 102, which thread into the walls of the mill housing, are of a cross section less than the width and height of the openings 104. This permits the flanges 98 to be raised and lowered when the screws 102 are loosened; and it also permits the flanges 98 to be rocked into a position, such as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, to rock the support element 78 about its longitudinal axis. Such an angular movement of the support element 78 about its axis tilts the entire assembly to that the guide box can be leveled or given a slight upward or downward incline, as may be desirable to bring it into alignment with the presentment of the workpiece. In FIG. 3, the flange 98 is shown as rocked about the southwest screw 102; but it will be understood that it can be rocked about any one of the screws or moved in such a way as to tilt it about an axis other than the axis of any one of the screws 102.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described and the invention is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable support for a guide box having a roll pass of a rolling mill, said support including a top platform for holding a roll pass in a fixed relation with respect to the presentment of a work piece to the guide box, a slider base having a bottom platform at the upper part thereof, two complementary wedges between the platforms and by which the top platform is supported from the bottom platform, adjusting means for moving complementary sloping faces of the wedges with respect to one another in opposing directions to raise or lower the top wedge and the top platform, a support element under the slider base and along which the slider base is movable transversely of the intended direction of movement of a work piece through the roll pass on the top platform, and adjustable means for holding the slider base in any selected position on said support element.

2. The adjustable support described in claim 1 characterized by the wedges including an Lipper wedge captively connected with the top platform and movable vertically as a unit therewith, guide means holding the top platform and the upper wedge against horizontal movement, and a lower wedge on the bottoni platform with a sloping face in Contact with a sloping face of the upper wedge and movable horizontally on the bottom platform to shift the upper wedge and top platform vertically with respect to the bottom platform.

3. The adjustable support described in claim 2 characterized by the adjusting means being a generally horizontal screw with a head that exerts force against a surface of the bottom platform to prevent axial movement of the screw, and a threaded opening in the lower wedge and into which the screw threads to move the lower wedge as the screw is rotated.

4. The adjustable support described in claim 1 characterized by the adjustable means for holding the slider base in any position including an adjusting plate, means for anchoring the adjusting plate against movement with respect to the support element, and cam means operably connected with the adjusting plate and the slider base for causing relative movement of the adjusting plate and the slider base.

5. The adjustable support described in claim 4 characterized by the adjusting plate being located on the supporting element and being movable along the supporting element in the same direction as the slider base, the means for anchoring the adjusting plate being a screw that clamps the adjusting plate against movement along said support element, and the cam means being a captive screw that passes through the adjusting plate, thrust bearings on the captive screw on opposite sides of the adjusting plate for preventing axial movement of the captive screw with respect to the adjusting plate, the captive screw extending to the slider base and through a threaded opening in the slider base for moving the slider base along the support element when the captive screw is rotated in either direction.

6. The adjustable support described in claim 5 characterized by the support element being a bar of polygon cross section, the slider base and the adjusting plate having bearing surfaces that contact with the bar for holding the slider base and adjusting plate against tilting movement with respect to the bar.

7. The adjustable support described in claim 6 characterized by end plates rigidly connected to the bar for connecting the bar ixedly to and between sides in a mill housing, the bar extending through two axially spaced openings in the slider base and through an opening in the adjusting plate, sides of said openings constituting said bearing surfaces of the slider base and adjusting plate, and set screws in the slider base and the adjusting plate in position to clamp against the bar.

8. The adjustable support described in claim 7 characterized by the wedges including an upper wedge captively connected with the top platform and movable vertically as a unit therewith, guide means holding the top platform and the upper wedge against horizontal movement, and a lower wedge on the bottom platform with a sloping face in contact with a sloping face of the upper wedge and movable horizontally on the bottom platform to shift the upper wedge and top platform vertically with respect to the bottom platform.

9. The adjustable support described in claim 1 characterized by a guide box iixedly fastened to the top platform, parallel spaced side walls of the guide box extending upward away from the top platform, rolls carried by the spaced side walls and between which a rod or other work piece passes to be rolled to a desired cross section, a horizontal entrance roll ahead of the roll pass formed by the other rolls, and an axle extending between the side walls and by which the entrance roll is rotatably supported.

10. The adjustable support for a guide box as described in claim 1 characterized by other adjustable means for rocking at least a part of the support about an axis extending transversely of the direction of movement of a work piece through the guide box to change the inclination of the guide box with respect to the direction from which a work piece is presented to the guide box from a wonk piece source of supply.

11. The adjustable support for a guide box as described in claim 10 characterized by the adjustable means for rocking at least a part of the support including a bar of polygonal cross section, which bar is the support element under the slider base, and plates at opposite ends of the bar in position to be supported from sides of a mill housing, the end plates having openings therein for receiving screws to connect the end plates to the sides of the mill housing, and screws that extend through said openings for connecting the plates to said sides of the mill housing, at least some of the openings being larger than the cross sections of the screws so that the plates can be shifted with respect to the screws when the screws are loosened to rock the har about its longitudinal axis and thereby change the inclination of the guide box.

12. The adjustable support described in claim 9 characterized by the guide box including a funnel guide for the rod at the entrance end of the guide box, the entrance roll being at the exit end of the funnel guide and having an additional horizontal roll above it to form a roll pass with grooves in the roll faces for stabilization to prevent twisting of the rod and for exerting sizing pressure on the skin of the hot rod, a pair of vertical rolls also near the exit end of the funnel defining a pass for straightening or ironing the nose or lead of the rod, said other rolls being grouped to form two successive passes, contour guide blocks beyond the last roll pass and between which the rod passes as it leaves the guide box, and water spray pipes in position to discharge streams of water on the rod and rolls at various roll passes and on the rod as it leaves the guide blocks.

References Cited 'UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,043,170 7/1962 Wales 72-237 2,612,797 10/ 1952 Johnston 72-237 258,195 5/ 1882 CritchloW 72-250 1,007,924 ll/l911 Curr, Jr. 72--199 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner M. I. KEE'NAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 72-211, 244 

